Opportunities to Address Obesity Disparities Among High-Risk Latino Children and Adolescents

Purpose of review: This review highlights obesity-related disparities among Latino children and adolescents, discusses the social determinants of health (SDoH) that drive disparities, and presents case studies of strategies for reducing disparities and promoting health equity.

Recent findings: Recommended strategies for reducing obesity-related disparities include the use of culturally grounded programming, multi-sector collaborations, and technology. We present two exemplar studies that demonstrate that integrating cultural values and enhancing the overall cultural fit of prevention programs can increase engagement among high-risk Latino families. We also examine the use of multi-sector collaborations to build community capacity and address key SDoH that impact health behaviors and outcomes. Our last example study demonstrates the utility of technology for engaging youth and extending the reach of prevention strategies in vulnerable communities. To address growing obesity-related disparities, there is an urgent need to develop and test these strategies among high-risk, vulnerable populations like Latino children and adolescents.